Revs draft Andrew Farrell with #1 pick in MLS SuperDraft

INDIANAPOLIS – The New England Revolution selected University of Louisville defender Andrew Farrell (pronounced FAIR-rell) with the first overall selection in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft this afternoon at the Indiana Convention Center. Farrell, who uses the Twitter handle @Louisville05, signed a Generation adidas contract with the league prior to the SuperDraft and has been automatically added to New England’s roster.

So excited and blessed for the opportunity giving by @nerevolution today excited and ready to start working! #NERevs#MLS

The Revs, who were originally slated to make the fourth overall selection, completed a trade with Toronto FC – who held the top spot – yesterday and acquired the top pick after sending the number four pick and allocation money to Toronto. The Revs have three more picks in today’s draft, all in the second round: 21st overall, 23rd overall and 36th overall.

“We’re very pleased to add Andrew to the Revolution,” General Manager Michael Burns said. “We believe he is the best player available in this draft class and proactively made the deal with Toronto to move up the draft order so we could ensure he was available when we picked. We’re looking forward to getting him into camp with us and getting him acclimated to the Revolution. We believe he has a very bright future with our club and in this league."

Farrell, 20, was an NSCAA first-team All-America honoree this year following a stellar three-year career at Louisville. He started all 44 games which he played the last two seasons and earned Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2012. The 5-11, 185-pound defender transitioned from the midfield as a junior, and scored six goals and added six assists in his three-year career. He is projected as a central defender or a right back at the professional level.

The son of a missionary, Farrell spent time as a youth growing up in Peru and learning the game. He is also fluent in Spanish.